Európai Tanács hírei

The leaders of France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Romania, the United Kingdom, together with European Council and European Commission Presidents met with President of Moldova and reaffirmed their strong and united support for Moldova and its European future.

The EU issued a statement on the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia condemning discrimination and violence and reaffirming its strong commitment to respect, protect and fulfill the full and equal enjoyment of all human rights by all LGBTI persons.

Weekly schedule of President António Costa, 19–25 May 2025

On 16 May, European Council President António Costa was in Tirana, Albania to co-host the sixth meeting of the European Political Community summit. In his opening remarks, he called for a united European response to the growing global challenges to peace, international law and multilateralism. He also reaffirmed the EU’s commitment to being a reliable partner in building a 'new Europe in a new world.'

Statement by the High Representative on behalf of the European Union on the alignment of certain third countries with Council Decision (CFSP) 2025/824 of 25 April 2025 amending Decision (CFSP) 2023/891 concerning restrictive measures  in view of actions destabilising the Republic of Moldova.

Statement by the High Representative on behalf of the European Union on the alignment of certain third countries with Council Decision (CFSP) 2025/820 of 25 April 2025 amending Decision 2013/184/CFSP concerning restrictive measures in view of the situation in Myanmar/Burma.

During his visit to the Western Balkans, European Council President António Costa met with Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama in Tirana. At the joint press conference, he reaffirmed the EU’s strong commitment to Albania’s accession, praised the country’s reform progress, and commended its role in hosting the upcoming European Political Community summit. He also welcomed the opening of a College of Europe campus in Tirana, highlighting Albania's deepening ties with the EU.

Press briefing ahead of the upcoming Foreign Affairs Council will take place on 16 May 2025 at 14.30.  Press briefing ahead of the Foreign Affairs (Defence) Council will take place on 19 May 2025 at 16.30.

During his visit to the Western Balkans, European Council President António Costa met with the President of North Macedonia Hristijan Mickoski in Skopje. At the joint press conference, he reaffirmed the EU's commitment to the country's EU accession path and commended North Macedonia on its progress on the reform agenda. He also stressed that these efforts must continue and that the EU is ready to support North Macedonia in this process.

Remarks by President Antonio Costa after his meeting in Pristina with President Vjosa Osmani-Sadriu.

Main agenda items, approximate timing, public sessions and press opportunities.

During his visit to the Western Balkans, European Council President António Costa met with the President of Montenegro Jakov Milatović in Podgorica. At the joint press conference, he highlighted that enlargement is crucial for the stability and prosperity of the region, praising Montenegro's progress towards EU membership. He also stressed the importance of continuing reforms and maintaining good neighborly relations.

In the context of a visit to the Western Balkans, European Council President António Costa met with the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina in Sarajevo. During the joint press conference, he reaffirmed the EU’s full commitment to Bosnia and Herzegovina’s accession process, while addressing concerns about the persisting challenges in the country, namely the need to accelerate progress on the necessary reforms and the recent developments in República Srpska.

The Council approved the Commission’s positive assessment of the amended recovery and resilience plans submitted by the Netherlands, Portugal, Slovakia and Spain.

The Council reached a general approach on the directive on value added tax (VAT) rules for distance sales of imported goods and import VAT.

In the context of a visit to the Western Balkan region, European Council President António Costa met in Belgrade with the President of Serbia Aleksandar Vučić. During the joint press conference, he reaffirmed the EU’s strong commitment to Serbia’s accession, emphasising that now there is a momentum that must be seized through swift reforms. He stressed that accession is a merit-based process, highlighting the need for full alignment with EU foreign policy, including support for Ukraine and strong condemnation of Russia's war of aggression.

Main agenda items, approximate timing and press opportunities.

The Council has approved conclusions evaluating the legal framework for audiovisual media services and video-sharing platform services in the EU, ahead of the upcoming review of the audiovisual media services directive.

The Council has reached a provisional agreement with the European Parliament on a new regulation to ensure complete, coherent and comparable European statistics on population and housing.

Remarks by Eurogroup President Paschal Donohoe after the Eurogroup meeting on the European banking sector, European Stability Mechanism, global trade tensions, and the progress on the digital euro.